Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-03-12
NORTH MOUNTAIN.

Mr.. and Mrs. VIM. Wright have re-
turned from a visit in Jefferson Co.
The house and lot of Mr.. Luke APP
ple's at Newtown has been purchased
by Mr.. Dan Kesecker for $3.50. Mr.
K. has already moved into his prop
erty.
Donaldson's mill one mile east of
this station, has been rented by Phil
lip Perrel, who will conduct the mill
ing business this year.
Robins, blackbirds, doves, and Wild
geese are coming north, which indi-
Gates thatrough weather is about over.
Jack, horse, a patriarch of his
kind, died, recently, aged "a years.
Nr. George Donaldson on Back Creek
was his owner.
Farmers are beginning to sow clo-
yer seed. Wheat looks well for the
'eason and gives promise of good
stand.
When new Scholastic is to be Sc
Iected, the tendency of people is
.chool-officers not excepted-to place
It in seme.out-of-the-way place, often
IN a rock-brake, and on only land
enough for the house to cover.
Now it strikes us, that instead of stick
ing some refuse lumber together on the
aforesaid out-of-the-way. quarter of
tn-acre rock-brake with store boxes
Tor furniture, that fine site should be
selected. PLENTY of ground-not less
than an acre-on fiat or slightly slop-
ing surface, twice as long as it is wide,
3r any other shape so as to give a large
and comnodious playground so the
scholars will not need to trespass on
neighboring premises). The school
house should be built substantially, of
the best materials, well-fitted with
comfortable furniture and all neces-
,ary apparatus-the more home-like
the interior can be made appear, the
oetter,-and best teachers furnished,
in fact, the best of everything should be
furnished without fear depending a
few extra dollars. Ifthis were the rule
instead of, in most cases, the exception
school houses would not be rebuild
every few years, new sites selected,
and extra cost in the way of repairs
Zach year incurred. If men must be
,tingy, it is better to be so in other
matters than when it come to schools
"a place of such great Importance to
Dur children. Look what a great por-
lion of child's life must be spent in
the school-room then, my economic,
penny-wise- pound-foolish -. friends
consider, not only consider-but act.
1t is the poorest kind ofeconomy to
stick together some ramshackle lum-
Der, to nail up few boxes and call
them desks, to pay teachers such
wages as drive the best out the pro-
fession to some place where he will re-
ceive better wages. Itstrikes me that
too many qualifications are asked for
in the teacher, (Talking of qualica-
ton necessary in the teacher, l refer
you to Prof. Gerhardt's "School In
terests" which have been published
from week to week.. All these quail
cations for what? Fora sum of mon
ey less than what "picked-up-his-
trade" journeyman carpenter gets per
month. When poor seed is sown and
but little oft, what can we expect to
reap but harvest of weeds. Too much
time is given to raising fine cows, fine
sheep, fine pigs; and too little given to
raising fine, sensible, manly children,
We look too much to the dollars and
cents and forget the soul. The time
is coming-is here, when old supersti-
tons, beliefs, stinginess should pass
away and give room to the enlightened
age ofgood schools, good furniture.
NELLIE.